Greece extends by a year visas for Turkish nationals to visit islands

ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece has extended by a year a visa scheme for Turkish nationals wishing to visit 12 islands in the Aegean Sea for up to a week, diplomatic sources said, continuing a programme that represented a slight thaw in often fractious ties between the neighbours.

The agreement for automatic visas allowing Turks and their families to visit some Greeks islands without having to apply for full access to the European Union's passport-free travel zone was signed in December 2023, when Greece and Turkey agreed to turn a page after years of tensions and drafted a roadmap to usher in a new era of closer ties.

Greece and Turkey, both NATO members but historic foes, have been at odds for decades over jurisdiction in their maritime zones in the Aegean Sea, airspace and the ethnically divided Cyprus.

Following an approval by the European Commission, the tourist visa scheme will be extended to April 2026, the sources said late on Thursday, adding that an original list of 10 islands would be expanded to include the islands of Patmos and Samothrace.

The Commission had welcomed the successful implementation of the scheme over the past year and recognised its positive contribution to promoting connections between the two peoples, the sources said.

Since the scheme was launched in March 2024, more than 100,000 visit visas have been issued for Turkish nationals for the islands of Rhodes, Kos, Samos, Lesbos, Chios, Leros, Symi, Lemnos, Kalymnos and Kastelorizo.

Athens and Ankara last year agreed to explore possible talks aimed at demarcating their maritime zones. A high-level cooperation council that the countries set up in 2010 to help address their long-standing differences is expected to meet later this year.

(Reporting by Renee Maltezou; Editing by Angeliki Koutantou and Frances Kerry)